Florida Catholic | Yom HaShoah: remembering the Holocaust

Yom HaShoah: Remembering the Holocaust

At Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, 13 students from Cardinal Mooney High School lit 13 candles during the Jewish celebration of Yom HaShoah – so that we may never forget.

ALICIA BARTOL-THOMAS | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 04.25.08

VENICE | Yom HoShoah, the day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust, brought on reflection and renewed the effort to make sure something such as that can never happen again.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane and Rabbi Michael B. Eisenstat of Temple Beth Israel on Longboat Key celebrated Yom HaShoah April 13 at Epiphany Cathedral before the largest crowd ever to attend the service.

At the Holocaust memorial service, Holocaust survivors and people of all faiths gathered to light candles in memory of the 6 million Jews and the 7 million others who were victims of Nazi oppression and calculated genocide.

There were 13 candles lit by students from Cardinal Mooney High School.

Each candle represented one of the 13 concentration camps of the Holocaust, starting with Auschwitz.

Bishop Dewane, who has visited Auschwitz, the site of at least 2 million murders of Jews and others, described the camp as a factory of death. “Personally, it says to me, we can never again let humanity do that to itself.”

The service, initiated 18 years ago by Bishop Emeritus John J. Nevins, is a “gigantic step” toward healing and cooperation between our faiths, Rabbi Eisenstat said.

There are not many dioceses in the United States or in the world that recognize Yom Hoshoah, he said.

“There’s not only recognition, but an atonement process going on, and we are receptive to that gesture,” the rabbi added. “It builds good will as we go into the future, so that when we see terrible threats to humanity, we as Jews and Catholics can reach out and find common ground on which to use our common moral teachings.”

Bishop Dewane told the more than 800 people gathered that Yom HaShoah should “re-energize us to be on the lookout for emerging genocide worldwide and to promptly advocate against it.

“When evil becomes present, we need to confront it and — whether we be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, whatever faith — we need to recognize we have a commitment to love our fellow human beings.”

When asked what he would express to the younger generations who are so far removed from the Holocaust, he said, “There can be no room for hate in our world. We have to sensitize ourselves to the fact that when we see hate, we have to do something about it.” The bishop added a challenge for all to reflect upon. “What can I do as an individual person — it’s an individual action — to stop the hate that is out there, to do something about it?”

Rabbi Eisenstat also challenged the youths to stand up and speak out.

“I would like to relate to them that nothing is impossible. … Young people today don’t have to wait for a gigantic crisis to occur. What they can do is prevent a giant crisis from coming to pass by doing what’s right every day, by averting cruelty when they see it, by stopping people from picking on others, stopping people from demeaning others because of their race or their beliefs or national origin,” he said.

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Yom HaShoah: Remembering the Holocaust

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